tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56574003510196349622024-02-21T02:17:45.961-08:00Advance to Go Art GlassA day in the life of Geri Omohundro.Geri Omohundrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15220974550627879825noreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5657400351019634962.post-44790024246601876742011-07-07T08:08:00.000-07:002011-07-07T08:08:33.852-07:00iPad and Square LoveI've been looking at the iPad ads and the apple website thinking that when I paid every bill and the economy turned around and sales were great that I could get an iPad... Well none of that happened, but what did happen was my 15 year old visa terminal finally quit.<br />
I had been reading about Square for a few months. It's a new way to accept visa and it works with an iPad, iPhone or android phone. Well, that's all it took to justify getting an iPad. To get another visa terminal and pay for the software so it could take visas while on the road at craft shows was going to cost $$$$$$ at my old service, so I decided to spend my money on an iPad which I can do so many other things with, and get Square for FREE!<br />
Yep, Square is a free service invented by the fella that started twitter and after using it for a few months, it is a real godsend to people like me who dont have a high volume and need to use a visa on the road.<br />
I filled out an online application which took just a few minutes, and received the wee card reader within the week. It is AWESOME! It takes a few times to get the feel of swiping a card, but that is the biggest problem I had, everything else was smooth sailing.<br />
My favorite part of using Square is that I can enter my inventory onto virtual store shelves with photos, price and color variations. You can even add an item during a sale, take it's picture with the iPad, and add details in a few seconds. If you need to, there is a numerical keyboard to just add in a price as well.<br />
I can key in the sales tax which I can change with one of the setting buttons, which is great as I do shows in different states. I can even do several lists, because I also sell wholesale, so I've got one store section with all my wholesale and one with all my retail.<br />
You can even use Square as a POS or cash register, as you can input sold items, then choose cash or charge. It'll even tell you how much change to give back. The great thing I noticed during the show, is that it started to make a new category, which was popular items. Since I sell lots of earrings at a show, this made it quick and easy to input a new sale as I didn't need to scan my shelves, just look at the bottom of the page and there were the earrings.<br />
After authorizing the card, your customer signs the virtual sales slip with their finger, then inputs their email or phone # to have a receipt sent to them. The receipt has your business info and all the sales info. People were delighted with this technology. No paper to keep track of, nothing for an identity theft person to swipe, it was great!<br />
There is a running list or history of your sales, which you are able to download from the <a href="http://www.squareup.com/">www.squareup.com</a> site for your records. <br />
If you need to key in a card, like I do for wholesale accounts, you can do that as well. The fee for keying in is slightly higher, 3.5% plus .15 versus 2.75% for swiped cards. The program tells you immediately the net amount which will be deposited.<br />
One thing my bank tried to get me away from using square was that you can only deposit $1000 a week, anything over that is held for thirty days. Since this might become a problem, I asked square about a higher limit and received approval right away, so don't let this sway you.<br />
You can also take Discover and American Express which would have cost me extra before.<br />
I give Square two thumbs up, their online service has also been prompt and courteous.Geri Omohundrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15220974550627879825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5657400351019634962.post-85613005200981588262011-02-18T08:11:00.000-08:002011-02-18T10:47:15.339-08:00Steampunk Dragonfly PendantFinally, after having pieces laying on my work table, then put away in a drawer for about six months, I got everything out and worked it up! I hate to finish things. I love starting things and am happiest when I have a half dozen projects going so I can switch off, back and forth throughout the day. <br />
My routine is: work on the computer (hah, work) listing etsy stuff, checking wholesalecrafts.com discussion boards, working on <a href="http://www.advancetogoartglass.com/">www.advancetogoartglass.com</a> web page or the new wedding line with my friend Mickey, <a href="http://www.simplepleasureshandmade.com/">www.simplepleasureshandmade.com</a>. Checking site statistics to see if anybody found any of these sites, checking email to see if please please are there any orders (2 wholesale last week thank goodness).... then take the dogs for a walk.. my baby Shar-pei Lilli can be kinda hard on the ol' man Bear with rough puppy play unless they get their legs stretched... then go feed cows at the ranch.<br />
Then it's lunch, where I'm currently eating a sandwich in front of the iMac while watching Brothers and Sisters on Netflix. It's not that great, but I ran out of Dexter and Weeds episodes until the new season is released.<br />
THEN I FINALLY MAKE SOMETHING IN THE STUDIO! What a slacker. It seems to take until about 2-3 pm before I get the wheels turning and work in my shop. Even then, I'm happiest with my mp3 player in the background with an audiobook. Right now I'm on the last few hours of Pat Conroy's "The Prince of Tides". I'd read the book years ago and loved it.... saw the movie and hated it. The audiobook is very good. The fella reading is excellent, and doesn't overdo the southern accents of the characters. I downloaded it from <a href="http://www.audible.com/">www.audible.com</a> and have been pretty happy with their service. I used NetLibrary, but it's difficult to search for books that you really want so I've gotten away from using it.<br />
SO, the reason for this post is that not only did I finish something, but I'm pretty happy with it and learned how to do riveting, or cold connections. I'd bought the rivets last fall and wasn't sure how to do the process. I got on YouTube and found several helpful videos. Youtube is a great teacher for any technique you want, for instance I didn't know what grafting was for a project I was knitting, and there was a video on Youtube! Excellent!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirTQ007ic0IkSfsA0ocMm0mHHV5vznipus8A2V70a4VUKgMwJh3Fwb_9VYVjhwtKddPx_ZlcshFe0VN0GiVU4pxoSkdD92ZNo0oLf0pytr18Hzctt-BRhPffroKw6zJCjymV5jxzxSlr83/s1600/DSCN1540.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirTQ007ic0IkSfsA0ocMm0mHHV5vznipus8A2V70a4VUKgMwJh3Fwb_9VYVjhwtKddPx_ZlcshFe0VN0GiVU4pxoSkdD92ZNo0oLf0pytr18Hzctt-BRhPffroKw6zJCjymV5jxzxSlr83/s320/DSCN1540.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdnvDFHVSO4QBuQn_2qAvv9Ndr8QnCchLOVmWnzAAlyZzzK5WNoO0_uTxGhI2UTNJIUUIAREIZwBiRB14M-nFS7k581yIQrvaGXqEM7bnYegNMKbuHCQap7TUpPvV_XkDsglaz4kQKmsBS/s1600/DSCN1543.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdnvDFHVSO4QBuQn_2qAvv9Ndr8QnCchLOVmWnzAAlyZzzK5WNoO0_uTxGhI2UTNJIUUIAREIZwBiRB14M-nFS7k581yIQrvaGXqEM7bnYegNMKbuHCQap7TUpPvV_XkDsglaz4kQKmsBS/s320/DSCN1543.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>So, I gathered my different bits of metal together.... an embossed copper piece, a brass background that I drilled and hammered for texture, a dragonfly charm and vintage watch parts. Oh, and the rivets. I practiced a couple of times on a scrap and ruined the rivets, but when I put them into this piece with the brass tube hinge (for making boxes) that I used as spacers, it went pretty well. Into the space went the rivets that held the watch pieces on. I added some chain and a "Wander" token and a vintage key. I think it's done. I want to enter it into a competition so won't be listing it on either website for awhile to see how that goes...Geri Omohundrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15220974550627879825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5657400351019634962.post-18709527966626101632011-02-05T08:24:00.000-08:002011-02-05T08:24:14.665-08:00Friday night in King HillI haven't posted in six months! Where does the time go? Right now the time just seems to crawl. For a crafter, this is the Dead Zone. The time after Christmas and before summer when nobody has money, or needs to buy anything because they too, are just trying to get through winter.<br />
I guess on the up side, is it means there is time to go for drives. Just 15 miles from our home starts a sagebrush wilderness with large ranches scattered about. There is a loop we drive on where hundreds of deer and antelope play and winter forage.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivR00Oyubg1M7wUm0lBc982Ff8NSBt-uL2GzfHuN_3AUDbcMG0NUzpwqko0M5l5KF9hwUoT7rHPiKwlmrimlgtzsy1rjQ7dGkcHrd6TEDYseZFD3zpkBASEvnLOzIpVZU38rBIgZwhIwXs/s1600/DSCN1467.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivR00Oyubg1M7wUm0lBc982Ff8NSBt-uL2GzfHuN_3AUDbcMG0NUzpwqko0M5l5KF9hwUoT7rHPiKwlmrimlgtzsy1rjQ7dGkcHrd6TEDYseZFD3zpkBASEvnLOzIpVZU38rBIgZwhIwXs/s320/DSCN1467.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>This big buck watched us the whole time we sat in the car watching the herd. That is a wheel line behind them so they're in someone's farm grazing. There were at least 150 head in this bunch.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzKlkHzyPppebI2nLXEjbuEKh319y9jjXhEkIfpPd9Z8zkcRhZQ49Y-IrTPaPW9xp4wgZN9dhuBzwnh33otIv2JLcxdUWjjbnrYUl5xkq1vBrIGPgrCo0oJtFupnjt_2ptMQ2Vfpm7bdKn/s1600/DSCN1434.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzKlkHzyPppebI2nLXEjbuEKh319y9jjXhEkIfpPd9Z8zkcRhZQ49Y-IrTPaPW9xp4wgZN9dhuBzwnh33otIv2JLcxdUWjjbnrYUl5xkq1vBrIGPgrCo0oJtFupnjt_2ptMQ2Vfpm7bdKn/s320/DSCN1434.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>We also walked by one of our favorite spots, a railroad trestle near King Hill. This photo is looking up at it and on an angle (learned that from daughter August)... it looks like art doesn't it?<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3vpDOuHhFjbPtP8Hj42Xe1Ti9N99_jp6we0sK6PhG9vEfhvyrfvzv3mqrbS6aX9-Czdu6SpRIoKn9NehvLXCol3gpXxEjIZyP3v7QiUKr5wAF0xCVa5EkrOGNZz1exVEd81j3CNXYawUW/s1600/DSCN1441.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3vpDOuHhFjbPtP8Hj42Xe1Ti9N99_jp6we0sK6PhG9vEfhvyrfvzv3mqrbS6aX9-Czdu6SpRIoKn9NehvLXCol3gpXxEjIZyP3v7QiUKr5wAF0xCVa5EkrOGNZz1exVEd81j3CNXYawUW/s320/DSCN1441.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>We had Bear and our new puppy Lilli. Spending a lot of time with your pups is a good way to pass the time too during the Dead Zone. Lilli the Shar-Pei has been with us only about 60 days now and we've already got a million memories with her. She is a total character. She talks when you make a funny face and say "What"? She'll do a Sit and a Down on command if you're bribing her with dried blueberries. She has brought our elderly Bear doggy back to his puppy-hood again with rambunctious bouts of play. We love her and she loves us unconditionally. She doesn't care if Mom isn't selling anything :) unless the kibbles run low of course! <br />
On our walk by the river and railroad tracks, we ran across what we're pretty sure are wolf prints. They were HUGE! My tennis shoe is about 4" across, so that gives you an idea of the size. The long nails seemed to say wild animal rather than large dog as well. There have been wolves sighted in nearby areas, so it's not that big a reach to cry wolf. With all the livestock and the wild game, there is plenty to eat too.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrlggZL4Q8bMGM-q_1_UsikAMk3a5Gxyf2eG9LIVoZxLCMr9HE960beisvVfBcKN95rdaSUAyVGj4fOqApSeUQwiyzKKG5r_NXafMhkNpOBn8uXYJCqByL4RegdxOc9DVFNhVvyTOH6aEc/s1600/DSCN1443.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrlggZL4Q8bMGM-q_1_UsikAMk3a5Gxyf2eG9LIVoZxLCMr9HE960beisvVfBcKN95rdaSUAyVGj4fOqApSeUQwiyzKKG5r_NXafMhkNpOBn8uXYJCqByL4RegdxOc9DVFNhVvyTOH6aEc/s320/DSCN1443.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Geri Omohundrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15220974550627879825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5657400351019634962.post-68468397951032537552010-08-25T07:38:00.000-07:002010-08-25T07:38:21.222-07:00Hagerman FireOver the weekend we had an enormous fire in our area, burning 215,000 acres in a 24 hour period! I believe the acreage total is up over 300,000 now but the fire in our area is done.... since it ran out of anything to burn.<br />
I woke up at 5 am on Sunday morning and was opening some windows to let fresh air in when I noticed the whole horizon to the west was glowing red. Our town has a mighty river, the Snake between it and a high desert plateau which was currently on fire.<br />
My husband and I jumped in the car and drove up top of our valley to see what we could see. To the south of us, the fire was so big that even though it was miles away we could see flames leaping. It was pitch dark so I couldn't<br />
really get any good photos there.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCIMCVqnRtVGBRIAnVCAS1cLWRUxKboIfa4q7JTB7hyphenhyphenVmPUe_cs917rgVmtzhi-hax_YMducS78hq5AuVGWOeU8tUjmaEstQo2syXwqJlmXF2wETZDoXmV011kzt_3xDm89qg0lLVLupWG/s1600/DSCN0316.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCIMCVqnRtVGBRIAnVCAS1cLWRUxKboIfa4q7JTB7hyphenhyphenVmPUe_cs917rgVmtzhi-hax_YMducS78hq5AuVGWOeU8tUjmaEstQo2syXwqJlmXF2wETZDoXmV011kzt_3xDm89qg0lLVLupWG/s400/DSCN0316.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>We drove over to the Bliss Grade overlook and got some amazing photos, as we watched the fire advance for about an hour. The first photo shows the reflection of my car's windshield. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV3710mxHIqdU6XXDMNvG3euBpvxYmG7qclqGXZfSt1ceOmLe57HLAjkv86rrHJqano1Mv5zoGqak6n_pwRLDjboT_EVspqOcqfUIPBVZvzDTwS9acdEslG1XD0FA9riDTdfWnoky48fyr/s1600/DSCN0325.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV3710mxHIqdU6XXDMNvG3euBpvxYmG7qclqGXZfSt1ceOmLe57HLAjkv86rrHJqano1Mv5zoGqak6n_pwRLDjboT_EVspqOcqfUIPBVZvzDTwS9acdEslG1XD0FA9riDTdfWnoky48fyr/s400/DSCN0325.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>The next photo shows the fire advancing behind a cone shaped hill with the fire reflected in the river below. It was the eeriest feeling, as there was a ribbon of fire miles long, and way downriver in the dark, we could see only a couple of different spots where there was flashing red emergency vehicle lights. We thought "are we the only ones that know the whole place is on fire?"... we didn't know that everybody was fighting a fire south of here till later in the day.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4EZ6FjPsG-SdVLHmpx8Kw-7JKdSU8xj7oP4uZgCpmi5LaIPo16uREMUpCh3oQzLsXlOFTdFS0QklFNu-8fmPtjX2gG4WoXpzII7kq7qBqpUsRP47M1ssQO58Yy3eTi4Ac1TSL_ZWXeKze/s1600/DSCN0339.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4EZ6FjPsG-SdVLHmpx8Kw-7JKdSU8xj7oP4uZgCpmi5LaIPo16uREMUpCh3oQzLsXlOFTdFS0QklFNu-8fmPtjX2gG4WoXpzII7kq7qBqpUsRP47M1ssQO58Yy3eTi4Ac1TSL_ZWXeKze/s640/DSCN0339.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>As the dawn advanced, you can see where the fire has burned over the cone, the smoke is starting to come up that engulfed the Magic Valley all day. The firefighters protected structures up on the desert, and I could hear helicopters and bombers that were getting water out of the river to drop on the fire all day. Around 5 pm, the wind came up around 25-30 mph and the fire was at the river's edge. It jumped the river in 3 places, but fire departments from the whole valley were waiting and got it put out immediately. After that, the smoke just cleared out... the fire had run out of fuel at last. Whew!Geri Omohundrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15220974550627879825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5657400351019634962.post-19700493637016978002010-08-19T10:57:00.000-07:002010-08-19T10:57:04.058-07:00Riding the Debt WagonSo I just did the Oprah debt thing.... made the charts a couple of months ago where you list all your bills, re-arrange them in order of highest interest rate, then put all your money towards that bill and pay the minimum on the others. <br />
So far it is working, in the first 60 days, I have paid off 2 of the smaller credit card debts i owed. Today i made the first larger payment towards a 13.33% card. I need to call them to get the interest reduced as well. All I can say is it feels really good to see this starting to work in only 2 months. <br />
I'm a self employed maker of kaleidoscopes and jewelry, so as the winter months come round, there are usually long stretches of time between sales. I'm vowing to ramp up my retail and etsy websites, and use an emailing service to keep in touch with my wholesale accounts. In the past, I've spent a LOT of money to do trade shows, but for now I want to nurture the accounts I have. At least until I can get my debt in manageable territory. I love my work, but I have nothing to show for it but loads of debt....debt, debt, debt.... the key word that is undermining our whole society.... sigh... at least i finally posted, but see why i don't most days? Extreme terror? Blindsiding depression? Nah, just laziness and too much time reading what everyone else is putting out there!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi40UuYl7ZFQki2Zoirk34_vXI81vfSDQJ4jBRUOoOeWeYP8TCH3vFJw3E20kMyLN_eIX46hyphenhyphenicJZnTdWiB6Z6S84KJ-XLMWjxYq51kROQPaOYw62V1xh9CO_aiXkOX1wEvQM44nUxTROOZ/s1600/DSCN0307.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi40UuYl7ZFQki2Zoirk34_vXI81vfSDQJ4jBRUOoOeWeYP8TCH3vFJw3E20kMyLN_eIX46hyphenhyphenicJZnTdWiB6Z6S84KJ-XLMWjxYq51kROQPaOYw62V1xh9CO_aiXkOX1wEvQM44nUxTROOZ/s400/DSCN0307.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">How People go camping in Montana</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
For kicks and giggles, here is a photo of people who really know how to live! We were on our way to a craft show in Bigfork Montana when we saw this crazy car full of stuff. We thought it was po' folk moving but when my husband saw the photo he said "it's a truck driver going camping, see how he's tied everything down?"..... so I look at the ingeniousness of the treasures tied to this car. I guess thats what you do when you wanna go camping and you don't have a pickup or van. (they WERE going camping )... notice Tigger and the bag of potato's tied onto the backpack, what a hoot! I really think this is performance art, as they put on quite a show, there must've been 6 people taking pictures as soon as they pulled into the quik stop. God Bless America!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvv59L8Twxz2bMLJnyW2mbHJvtvNTB8vUTsjBz66lOXenXxVaquwls8rdfVF7oZJD-fF_bCgb0WBf5Xor_w2bSHNKdy60rQ4yl3wLIrBOATmyaBZvtYuUHNi6pBwmmXI5LDmJW0Zr3PqVb/s1600/DSCN0308.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvv59L8Twxz2bMLJnyW2mbHJvtvNTB8vUTsjBz66lOXenXxVaquwls8rdfVF7oZJD-fF_bCgb0WBf5Xor_w2bSHNKdy60rQ4yl3wLIrBOATmyaBZvtYuUHNi6pBwmmXI5LDmJW0Zr3PqVb/s400/DSCN0308.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>Geri Omohundrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15220974550627879825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5657400351019634962.post-81270491913606886272010-07-07T08:09:00.000-07:002010-07-07T08:09:59.217-07:00Shooting up in UtahYesterday was a strange but fun kind of day. We have a friend, Little Mary who is a retired military gal with 14 guns and a 160 acre parcel in the middle of Bumf*** Utah. We decided to pack a picnic and go visit the place with her and our friend Dan.<br />
The day was crystal clear and temps in the low 80's with a light breeze. Couldn't have been nicer. We brought my craft canopy for some shade and set up a day camp. <br />
On one of my walks, I ran across a number of wee scurrying lizards. Most of these guys were so quick you could just see a tail waving back and forth before they disappeared under a bush. This one posed for me tho.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDeKcAYp7okA-HaCtEa694DgAG9Et1yavCXbktChKzWkuSgsbOkWNlZ0S-gS5J256i87Qzv1pPDVw5QlwGNIsDR_JSOVuZrfCKqAwhrYkz_XWgYwQ4thXdVl2c_nhpyvUu9gJa9p4RT_-e/s1600/DSCN0237.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDeKcAYp7okA-HaCtEa694DgAG9Et1yavCXbktChKzWkuSgsbOkWNlZ0S-gS5J256i87Qzv1pPDVw5QlwGNIsDR_JSOVuZrfCKqAwhrYkz_XWgYwQ4thXdVl2c_nhpyvUu9gJa9p4RT_-e/s400/DSCN0237.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I think it's a dream of a lot of people to move out somewhere where there is nobody, but I can tell you after yesterday that this is just that kind of place and it's TOO isolated. About 30 miles from a town with just a post office and 10 more miles down a dirt road. I imagine the stars at night would be totally breathtaking tho. I took a string of pictures to make a panorama shot, but each one looked about the same, so here is just one of the scenery.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP1bOk9AOn9yffiraWc6Pajk9H0ib5uyaXV5gY4cA4QLO8A31uj8C7kXtnS1zmtWEmUTafdyjzILPHAKBETySkrUU235aDA1FLbEAo_fFX5WETa4FT_iDkB86K4AeDhaGJQ_IYAWEFgwRz/s1600/DSCN0224.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP1bOk9AOn9yffiraWc6Pajk9H0ib5uyaXV5gY4cA4QLO8A31uj8C7kXtnS1zmtWEmUTafdyjzILPHAKBETySkrUU235aDA1FLbEAo_fFX5WETa4FT_iDkB86K4AeDhaGJQ_IYAWEFgwRz/s640/DSCN0224.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>As you can see, lots of stickery plants, sagebrush and these amazing salt flat areas of pure white. We weren't too far from the famous Bonneville Salt Flats, at least when we left in the afternoon and headed south to the I80, I think that's what I saw off to the left, a miles long area of pure white in the middle of the desert.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuIQi4ChE5ijqXzSKb4cGjllqWyrNAaS1yX8-ufGe4zkniFA4IGv9MwvXJCgOiJ4XzzwsG5UhLAahny9g1jgwni2lUwsbBiZVRdOXTuhMc3D1jWMSzQQ4eEGYm7duJfBn3LUVcfggZJyyw/s1600/DSCN0233.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuIQi4ChE5ijqXzSKb4cGjllqWyrNAaS1yX8-ufGe4zkniFA4IGv9MwvXJCgOiJ4XzzwsG5UhLAahny9g1jgwni2lUwsbBiZVRdOXTuhMc3D1jWMSzQQ4eEGYm7duJfBn3LUVcfggZJyyw/s320/DSCN0233.JPG" /></a></div><br />
As for wildlife, there were plenty of flies after our lunch, a beautiful white butterfly that liked the canopy, and this poor thing, beautiful in it's symmetry. Actually, this isn't wild at all, but probably a sheep, as this is sheep country.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7caBwrQpo0OfKEQC5GtGyFYDj__AjPbWFrE_ev0tX-Cj8F-TzTTdmBAiE-Hq1WjlIYw_GD4yjQu1IzzwE_zzdb7ZDqV926dJBkaUb-sd3jtUJ4GW5Udkhobp5vpUkGAUFBWn_1sVlkGFm/s1600/DSCN0229.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7caBwrQpo0OfKEQC5GtGyFYDj__AjPbWFrE_ev0tX-Cj8F-TzTTdmBAiE-Hq1WjlIYw_GD4yjQu1IzzwE_zzdb7ZDqV926dJBkaUb-sd3jtUJ4GW5Udkhobp5vpUkGAUFBWn_1sVlkGFm/s400/DSCN0229.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>Shooting the guns was actually a lot of fun. Mary is a kind teacher and helped me do whatever it is I needed to do to get the gun to shoot. I smacked a target on the second try which was exhilarating. Won't say how many times it was before the second hit tho! Here is Mary in her "Chuck the Rifleman" moment. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi34cu1SKWHZV-bxVqLaFBTYa8k0cVBMhkUY_vFApVsemUzY7Ke4mR4TwyuXqKxiHsE0o85VPQRswNEykfu_sVyrkqxWk2HQSkHcJ31EirvKgpGw6ig9_6B_EsqtoYZZ8x3EMVEveeZe9MV/s1600/DSCN0235.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi34cu1SKWHZV-bxVqLaFBTYa8k0cVBMhkUY_vFApVsemUzY7Ke4mR4TwyuXqKxiHsE0o85VPQRswNEykfu_sVyrkqxWk2HQSkHcJ31EirvKgpGw6ig9_6B_EsqtoYZZ8x3EMVEveeZe9MV/s400/DSCN0235.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>The last little gift of the day when we were looking for cactus to take home, was a Horny Toad that scurried across my path! It's a miracle to see one of these little guys, unless you happen to live somewhere where they flourish. I saw one when I was a kid, and now this one. I stuck the camera as close to the sticker bush as I could, but he's so well camouflaged that you really only see him cause of the outline of his torso.Geri Omohundrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15220974550627879825noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5657400351019634962.post-6837449832977906252010-06-30T06:19:00.000-07:002010-06-30T06:19:11.569-07:00Catalog CrazySo yeah i've been away from the blog for months now... somedays just too blue to write (as in I've got nothing to say or add to the world to make it a better place etc), but most days too busy and overwhelmed to write. And the funny thing is, writing usually aligns my molecules (kind of like doing that exercise video for 10 minutes) so it's a good thing.<br />
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I've been making a bad habit of zoning out in front of the computer, pushing a button, reading something, pushing another button and so on, while time flies by.<br />
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Lately I've been making myself actually heave ho on the old catalog for 2010, gee 6 months into the year, i think it's about time! I just revamped the one month old edition and it's ready to go out to all my wholesale customers. Well, it's ready after I buy more ink and print about 50 more issues. You see, my laser printer was printing kind of fuzzy on the jewelry photos, then I cleaned the big thingy inside that must be absolutely speckless. Well, that was a mistake, cause then the print quality really went down. At the same time, I was printing catalogs for my trade show ACRE in Vegas, so I ran to the local Office Max and purchased an HP Officejet 6500 which claims to be "40% cheaper than running a laser". They lie. While the printer prints beautifully and is quiet, it runs thru cleaning cycles alot and burns up the ink. I think my 5 page front and back catalog cost about $5 to print on the ink jet, whereas it was about $2 on the laser (using discount laser toner). Sigh. and now for some strange reason, my laser seems to be printing pretty good again, so I'm trying to finish things up and get that catalog out. It will feel like I've come up with a solution for world peace or something once it's all done and mailed.<br />
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Here's a sunset from a few weeks ago, I think the volcano in Iceland may be causing this, but it's fantastic!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgSxTDw14jLDe6Jgx0Ixj0HNGZwm17u81Rd4A54O2uppRDlSTqoLveIt0u8Cbqbb8HkE07tmxW5hB2ZoVcOQyAIe0EmjVwJPECog701hSiTRTYuD_Nx38tG2CFzokinm8pI9MVeF-KMArY/s1600/DSCN0151.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgSxTDw14jLDe6Jgx0Ixj0HNGZwm17u81Rd4A54O2uppRDlSTqoLveIt0u8Cbqbb8HkE07tmxW5hB2ZoVcOQyAIe0EmjVwJPECog701hSiTRTYuD_Nx38tG2CFzokinm8pI9MVeF-KMArY/s320/DSCN0151.JPG" /></a></div>Geri Omohundrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15220974550627879825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5657400351019634962.post-20967070690460080442010-01-22T08:33:00.000-08:002010-01-22T08:33:43.916-08:00Spring Comes, Spring GoesWow, our icy blanket that we've been living under for 2 months has finally melted away! We've had a weird inversion for weeks which means a thick layer of clouds between us and the sun.... which is a pretty good description of what it does to your spirit as well.... coated by a heavy layer of blaw and ice. I haven't even made anything in the studio for 3 weeks, but that's post partum Christmas burnout. Fellow crafters are all crazy busy getting ready for the winter trade shows, which I can't afford to do.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcNTtBuvDfvij8GKRKRTvMM7tWuNmZ7aGJBCr6RjbjX_jZ0tvBKK6ZHZrJ5EUYreafCO2G15WhVOHOvWghfyNsSl7cgVHrZmPVfbZGi8YuIgcxBDqXPOM_j0sIgdtLaq_mD9B3mScMEwVc/s1600-h/IMG_7719.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcNTtBuvDfvij8GKRKRTvMM7tWuNmZ7aGJBCr6RjbjX_jZ0tvBKK6ZHZrJ5EUYreafCO2G15WhVOHOvWghfyNsSl7cgVHrZmPVfbZGi8YuIgcxBDqXPOM_j0sIgdtLaq_mD9B3mScMEwVc/s320/IMG_7719.JPG" /></a><br />
</div>Instead I'm going to concentrate on listing some vintage items on etsy at www.vintagecowgirls.etsy.com and listing my show stuff (mostly jewelry) on www.goglassgirl.etsy.com. Also hope to finally achieve my real goal when I joined etsy and get jewelry and stained glass supplies listed for sale and clean out the studio. You can only move stuff you are no longer using so many times right? <br />
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A sign of spring tho, we had a few sunny days and 3 new baby calves. They're a bit early, but sometimes the bull gets out or the girls get in and stuff happens. Can't wait for the calf rodeos to begin... get a couple of babies together and it's a guaranteed chuckle.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-4A-arxr2dcHeXyUBoQ467TK47iR043OfdWGz1VG6v3q9HJdbFG1qfmIfo_TCtY7WtTXQ3ZoIea1BH0jhW1WwDDBlxCEtBZNYyz_UjQQZdYttwudNUn_Fp8YNSx87rxmX0_VYl6hKWzsZ/s1600-h/IMG_7667.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-4A-arxr2dcHeXyUBoQ467TK47iR043OfdWGz1VG6v3q9HJdbFG1qfmIfo_TCtY7WtTXQ3ZoIea1BH0jhW1WwDDBlxCEtBZNYyz_UjQQZdYttwudNUn_Fp8YNSx87rxmX0_VYl6hKWzsZ/s320/IMG_7667.JPG" /></a><br />
</div>Geri Omohundrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15220974550627879825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5657400351019634962.post-71001939306467307442009-12-10T07:50:00.000-08:002009-12-10T07:50:19.293-08:00New TechnologyOooh, Ooh, I'm so excited!! First of all the orders are coming in for Christmas fast and furious. My www.advancetogoartglass.com and www.goglassgirl.etsy.com sites are both working while I sleep. It is great fun to wake up, turn on the computer and check Paypal to see if anyone placed an order! Other people climb mountains, my adrenalin rush is to get that order to the ups or post office by deadline! My throat is getting tight just thinking about it, like getting a too strong cup of coffee.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLVZPBJoiX3D7CyMF8pLzcw69_ojq4-kapk3PukDzLMdqiniwK5asccl19Kk9YUT4uhXbT92AVz5fdSTLs_ShdJat_ovgbnghUkfatr8peuJ4LqV-uHaf3D2QTYT1pGtTE2_Rv1a15AhLm/s1600-h/FlrGrnTN.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLVZPBJoiX3D7CyMF8pLzcw69_ojq4-kapk3PukDzLMdqiniwK5asccl19Kk9YUT4uhXbT92AVz5fdSTLs_ShdJat_ovgbnghUkfatr8peuJ4LqV-uHaf3D2QTYT1pGtTE2_Rv1a15AhLm/s320/FlrGrnTN.jpg" /></a><br />
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And while working away in the studio on a flower scope last night, I finished listening to "Eat, Pray, Love" by Elizabeth Gilbert.... one woman's spiritual journey....etc...etc... and it was a totally satisfying ending. I got my new meditation cd from Amazon a full 5 days ahead of expected arrival... love that free super saving shipment.. and can't wait to try it out. Inspired by Liz's time in India, where she practiced meditation for four months at an ashram, I am taking the plunge to still all those little voices in my head... one voice and one radio station playing at a time, please! <br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Epson-Artisan-Color-Inkjet-Printer/dp/B002JM1XRQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1260459996&sr=8-1">Epson 810 Artisan Printer at Amazon</a><br />
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</div>I have also ordered an Epson 810 Artisan Printer for my Mom. BUT she is sharing it with me. I have started to silkscreen text onto metal, via the wonderful guidebook to vintage jewelry making "Semiprecious Salvage" by Stephanie Lee. My setback has been that I've been cursed with a laser printer, and it doesn't seem to put down enough ink to make a photo transfer. I have wound up with some pretty gnarly stuff, which isn't a bad thing, but would like to get a crisper image transfer. <br />
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Mom is going to use the printer to save all her great memories, scan in a mountain of black and whites and send copies to her childhood girlfriend she got to see this fall... both girls are 89 and still full of life!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuBFsUyzbo_Wx-ETlJj8vP2PEBSHz9jvJLQywz-ktXfzHj_ATKcGFXutQHliECwRlJcSGeV0TisyHwKRl0Tg3q03KI7fgnJTiFoJ2VBWh6-z96Dea5VQLINNM9rNu4Y4CQ-XphcCI20Iau/s1600-h/MomCowgirlPhto.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuBFsUyzbo_Wx-ETlJj8vP2PEBSHz9jvJLQywz-ktXfzHj_ATKcGFXutQHliECwRlJcSGeV0TisyHwKRl0Tg3q03KI7fgnJTiFoJ2VBWh6-z96Dea5VQLINNM9rNu4Y4CQ-XphcCI20Iau/s320/MomCowgirlPhto.jpg" /></a><br />
</div>Geri Omohundrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15220974550627879825noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5657400351019634962.post-72851773726551007572009-12-04T07:42:00.000-08:002009-12-10T07:54:54.432-08:00Eat, eat, eat<div style="text-align: left;">I am enjoying an audio books disc of Eat, Pray, Love by Elisabeth Gilbert. It was a big hit a few years ago and my daughter has been imploring me to read it. I think she said "you'll really like it mom" but she probably also said "it'll really help you mom" and she was 100% right on both accounts! <br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Eat%2C+Pray%2C+Love&x=0&y=0">Eat, Pray, Love</a><br />
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I was overcome by frustration however, as I have an mp3 player that I thought I could download the itunes book purchase to. However, itunes insisted there is not an mp3 version available, that it must be played on the computer??? WHAT! I already sit in front of the computer way too much as it is. I finally figured out that I could burn the book to a cd, which then wouldn't play on my stereo... so luckily, my strong procrastination traits have paid off.. I have been meaning to list my laptop for sale since this summer when I purchased a 20" imac. (older eyes mean bigger screens are NICE). Since I haven't done that yet, I am able to play the cd on my laptop in my studio as I work.<br />
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The Eat part of the book was very enjoyable. Elizabeth narrates the book herself and her soothing voice and charming wit came through in spades. It was like watching "Under the Tuscan Sun".... you were right there, enjoying the food and the charm of italian men and scenery and the beautiful language.<br />
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I've just finished the Pray part, which I have to admit, I was sometimes bored with. It came along as tedious in parts as she explains the things that she was bored with, but then... she would have a break through and I also was further drawn into the idea of meditation to quiet my mind. <br />
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For the last few months as my stress level with work and the health of my beloved pets has increased, I can barely sleep and just wish I could turn off that damn conversation and music that goes on in my head! I got on Amazon last night and ordered a disc on guided meditation that sounds wonderful, and a couple of little handbooks that I can carry with me for a little bit of insite during the day. I have practiced a 5 minute guided meditation off and on for a year, and when I can get myself to spend that 5 minutes being calm it does help me for the whole day.<br />
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I would recommend Eat Pray Love to anyone who is seeking their inner self. I know I am a totally driven person, and realize that I miss some small pleasures because of this... altho I take that back, as I also relish many small pleasures each day.... like when I'm feeding hay and see a flock of Canadian geese fly overhead.. or when I'm walking the dogs and my 13 year old Chinese Sharpei is trotting along with her tail like a flag in a parade.... those are things that make my heart melt. <br />
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Off to the shop to make up more orders... I am listening to the Love part today. Will let you know how that goes :)Geri Omohundrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15220974550627879825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5657400351019634962.post-91302165463219779492009-11-09T08:48:00.000-08:002009-11-09T08:54:16.416-08:00Lampworked BeadsMy ol' artist pal Mickey T came down for the weekend and I surprised her with a little beadmaking workshop. We had a good time and plan to do it again! After Mickey cleaned my kitchen counters (sorry mickey) we got down to the basics of simple beadmaking. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH_z7ofnpv5GLzRIX53N71QWdB3Il6-g0_DXB6pqcuUIHTyhi4zuyUh1bSbeX0kRmFZ8vLEu2wMvTI4yL1Qp3jR3dWlf2ONvsxibXX0uXmG-KvxoSqk5CDeYxRdBzlHGAfihTRozzYndW8/s1600-h/Dichro+Bracelets.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH_z7ofnpv5GLzRIX53N71QWdB3Il6-g0_DXB6pqcuUIHTyhi4zuyUh1bSbeX0kRmFZ8vLEu2wMvTI4yL1Qp3jR3dWlf2ONvsxibXX0uXmG-KvxoSqk5CDeYxRdBzlHGAfihTRozzYndW8/s320/Dichro+Bracelets.jpg" /></a><br />
</div>Mickey took right to it, making a bead with a spiral texture pattern, pulling stringer and making a bead with dots. Then we got some fresh air by going for a drive and enjoying the crisp fall weather. Found a great abandoned building that had been owned by a crazed rock hound guy in Bliss... mickey fell in love with the building..... I can see a painting job in my future!!<br />
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The picture above shows my signature dichroic "batik" beads. I was lucky enough to have 8 projects featured in Lark Books "Making Bead and Wire Jewelry in 2000. This book is still available at Amazon and many craft supply sites.<br />
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</div>Geri Omohundrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15220974550627879825noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5657400351019634962.post-11550674961316601382009-11-07T12:36:00.000-08:002009-11-07T12:36:58.871-08:00Steampunk Jewelry<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifw1uHKECrUksoboQoHml1oZXGAknDShAIhkXJ7jABf7Sm_KTaxl_191ADOnkbKUx1a5f97S3LBJlmfl0Y0SgB4pruSU-Gpf5Mxf7Aq_9dY29k6GpkTJNUmTlsswPu5vIocCChH-mlYzLc/s1600-h/PSmpkCt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifw1uHKECrUksoboQoHml1oZXGAknDShAIhkXJ7jABf7Sm_KTaxl_191ADOnkbKUx1a5f97S3LBJlmfl0Y0SgB4pruSU-Gpf5Mxf7Aq_9dY29k6GpkTJNUmTlsswPu5vIocCChH-mlYzLc/s400/PSmpkCt.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2eAxKapds0dD-E4ToykvBGz0e5tkFR1beZyv7ugCmGo8UzmxwTQ3EVYDBifooOUxL3XWqUWrJCfhI8WwQD7MhXJw0VP3sDc366WF6K1E2SGcGWrqe-fYK5f73-P_Q-PkHbACwpRTiBYky/s1600-h/PSmpkCtClsup.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2eAxKapds0dD-E4ToykvBGz0e5tkFR1beZyv7ugCmGo8UzmxwTQ3EVYDBifooOUxL3XWqUWrJCfhI8WwQD7MhXJw0VP3sDc366WF6K1E2SGcGWrqe-fYK5f73-P_Q-PkHbACwpRTiBYky/s320/PSmpkCtClsup.jpg" /></a><br />
Steampunk is a fascinating design style based on a mix of Victorian and Jules Verne details. I've created this pendant from my stamp collection, watch parts from Steampunk Supply (on etsy) metal that I silkscreened and acid distressed and a few bits of dichroic glass and vintage china. Needless to say, it was an evolution all it's own!Geri Omohundrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15220974550627879825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5657400351019634962.post-13785658713002335112009-11-07T07:36:00.000-08:002009-11-07T07:36:41.805-08:00White DeerMy cousin Carol sent me this link from a pbs segment on white deer. It is a beautiful and wonderful piece that filled me with renewed amazement at what an amazing place our planet is. For a trip out of the ordinary, take a few minutes to click on this link.<br />
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<blockquote type="cite"><div bottommargin="7" id="role_body" leftmargin="7" rightmargin="7" style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;" topmargin="7"><span id="role_document" style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><div><blockquote style="border-left-color: blue; border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 2px; margin-left: 5px; padding-left: 5px;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><div><blockquote style="border-left-color: blue; border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 2px; margin-left: 5px; padding-left: 5px;"><blockquote style="border-left-color: rgb(102, 153, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 3px; position: static; z-index: auto;"><div style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt;"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody>
<tr><td valign="top"><blockquote style="border-left-color: rgb(16, 16, 255); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 2px; margin-left: 5px; padding-left: 5px; position: static; z-index: auto;"><div id="yiv963291877"><div><a href="http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/video/flv/generic.html?s=inwi10s22a3q81f" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" title="http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/video/flv/generic.html?s=inwi10s22a3q81f">http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/video/flv/generic.html?s=inwi10s22a3q81f</a></div></div></blockquote></td></tr>
</tbody></table></div></blockquote></blockquote></div></span></span></span></blockquote></div></span></div></blockquote>Geri Omohundrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15220974550627879825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5657400351019634962.post-11286526854786199712009-11-05T06:52:00.000-08:002009-11-05T06:52:10.401-08:00HalloweenHalloween is my favorite holiday. It's great how the kiddies really live the fantasy of the costuming. It just doesn't seem as commercial as the other holidays have become, it's really about the spirit of the thing..... spirit, get it? Sorry but I couldn't help myself :)<br />
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If halloween can predict the economy, I would say it's coming back. Last year, most of the kids were dressed up like hobo's or casper, wearing bedsheets or old castoffs from dad and mom... but this year it seemed like 90% had crazy over the top costumes that were quite elaborate. I always tried to stitch my daughter's costumes, but you got to hand it to the store bought ones... there were some scary creatures running down my street!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinWmhDQt1eDpU43OkT-eeXbg4aytkEffgs72tIBLfLSJU8hSMQ2ucXrcJ290beupRw4A0bPy_lBMKAzZRG2HlfKGZuXE2ioht0CP9WoWTllnzMN5SZhsNO0TneLsrLeh2mmRdPh-x89VOL/s1600-h/IMG_7528.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinWmhDQt1eDpU43OkT-eeXbg4aytkEffgs72tIBLfLSJU8hSMQ2ucXrcJ290beupRw4A0bPy_lBMKAzZRG2HlfKGZuXE2ioht0CP9WoWTllnzMN5SZhsNO0TneLsrLeh2mmRdPh-x89VOL/s320/IMG_7528.jpg" /></a><br />
</div>My favorite Halloweener is actually a mom who brings her darling kids by, she works at the local market in our small town and bless her heart, was standing out in front of the local pub in this get up during the afternoon, waving at people and doing a funny dance... so she cracked me up twice yesterday, gotta love her.<br />
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</div>My husband carved pumpkins from our garden and they looked great out front in the new grasses and rust garden that I just finished planting a few weeks ago. Already the grasses have turned beautiful coppery pinks and ambers, I feel good every time I walk down the walk.Geri Omohundrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15220974550627879825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5657400351019634962.post-44348311180877213992009-10-24T08:27:00.000-07:002009-10-24T08:27:10.392-07:00Web Page StatisticsI just want to share my favorite web page which I check every day, specially now that I'm really trying hard to market my web page... it is web stats. This is a free service that will give you a huge amount of information about the hits on your web page. I was able to get it thru my last 2 web hosting accounts, but here is the direct url for this service:<br />
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http://awstats.sourceforge.net/<br />
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It gives you daily hits, time of day hits, what keywords are getting hits, and hits from other site links. Google also has a free analytics page which is invaluable as well. Just sign up for a google account and from your home page go to Myaccount. From there you can set up your analytics for all of your webpages, including etsy (set up etsy from the etsy side). You can monitor your adwords account and start a blog too. Since I've been working on the hubspot marketing tips from my first blog, my hits have increased by about 30%. I'm still very small potato's, but it feels good, kind of like losing those first 5 lbs of ugly fat :)Geri Omohundrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15220974550627879825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5657400351019634962.post-14910706589780898082009-10-22T15:50:00.000-07:002009-10-22T15:50:32.189-07:00I'm going to do lessI had an epiphany while walking my dogs this beautiful fall morning. While thoughts were spinning thru my brain as fast as the last glorious rush of speed of a kamma kazi pilot... it occurred to me, I don't need to to more, I need to do less! <br />
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I've feverishly been working on website promotion, following the guide I talked about the other day, following sign ups of sites recommended by friends... still behind on my orders, house isn't clean enough etc. I'm exhausted! And while I was thinking, if I did this then that would happen and then the next thing and so on... and I thought WAIT! The leaves are brilliant colors and sound like rain when they fall, and the sky is the purest blue and my dogs are healthy today (another blog there) and life is good. I will work on my orders at a steady responsible pace and they'll go out when they're done. I'll do that 10 minute workout dvd in the morning, and let it cut into my computer time. I'll take a tea break in the afternoon specially when I have delicious faux oatmeal cookies (made of potato chips, yum; thanks mickey) to go with that tea. And I will take my mom into town just to get a Pumpkin cappachino at the Maverik. And all will be well in my small corner of the world.Geri Omohundrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15220974550627879825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5657400351019634962.post-83608338927486517392009-10-20T07:50:00.000-07:002009-10-20T08:12:58.588-07:00I just researched SEO (search engine optimization) last night and one of the things you can do to promote your website is write a blog. I've had this blog set up for months and didn't think I had time to write anything.... altho I spend way too much time each morning checking on my various websites, reading Glass Incarnates wonderful blog, checking on my bank (oops no money) and researching researching researching.... the web is wonderful for all the things you can see and find out about.<div><br /><div>I found a site last night that evaluated my website for free . It is www.hubspot.com. I am still working on all the hints, but did a few of them last night. One hint was to register with DMOZ which is "the largest and most comprehensive human edited directory of the Web". Also the Yahoo! Directory. A third: ZoomInfo. I have already paid a search engine lister $129 for 3 months of service, but my site was not registered with these sites, go figure..... </div></div>Geri Omohundrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15220974550627879825noreply@blogger.com6